Curse of the Spider
by Qille
Summary: How did Nico and Pedro become arachnaphobic? It all started one morning when an incredibly large and incredibly poisonous spider crawled into their hollow... Prequel to all my other stories. Rating may change.
1. Don't Get Lost

_A/N: Okay okay okay okay OKAY! I couldn't wait to post this! Let me clarify first: this will definitely have more than one chapter. Okay. Get it? Got it? Good. This takes place during the movie, between the time Jewel's wing healed and the end sequence with the three baby Macaws. OKAY! _

_So this is a PREQUEL to all my other stories. So in other words, Pedro STILL can't swim, Nico is STILL claustrophobic and has two working wings, and none of them know who Maurice, Miguel, and Roberto are. And Rafael only has 18 kids (I imagine the 18th one hatched at the end of the movie). And none of Nico's friends know about Rico; and none of them know about Nico's little fever problem. And the Branch (the bird Samba club) is still there. So just... go back to movie mindset. Go. Right now. Are we all clear? Good. Awesome. No more rambling from the spastic Qille. HERE WE GO!_

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><p><strong>Curse of the Spider<strong>

"DON'T TURN AROUND!" Pedro screamed to Nico as they flew for their lives.

"I'm _not_ turning around!" Nico shouted back as he turned around to face Pedro.

"You're turning around!"

"I'm talking to _you_!"

A demonic giggle came from dangerously close behind Pedro.

"HE'S RIGHT BEHIND ME! HE'S RIGHT BEHIND ME! AAAAHHHHH!" screamed Pedro, spazzing out completely.

"_Then fly faster!_" screamed Nico, beating his wings as hard as he could. Suddenly, Pedro shot ahead of Nico. Before he could catch up, he felt something nip at his tail feathers. Turning his head to see, he was met with large, possessed brown eyes. _Right behind him._ Close enough to take him out. "AAAAAHHHHHH!" Another burst of adrenaline shot through him and he zoomed forward out of range, catching up to Pedro.

"HE'S RIGHT BEHIND US!" Nico screamed.

"I _KNOW_!" exclaimed Pedro.

Another nightmare-inducing cackle echoed through the warm late afternoon air. The feather-eating baby toucan – by day known as Juan – was still right on their tails. Probably hoping to eat them.

"That one sounded further away," Nico gasped to Pedro. "Should we look?"

"No way man, I ain't turnin' around!" Pedro gasped back.

"Neither am I!" exclaimed Nico.

Suddenly from behind them, there was a _thunk_ and the sound of leaves rustling. Nico and Pedro _both_ turned around to see Juan untangling himself from a very leafy branch that he had flown into. He wasn't looking at them. They both knew it was probably their only chance to escape having every feather plucked out.

_WHAM!_

Because they weren't looking where they were going, they didn't see the large tree branch hanging right in their path. They were both clothes-lined by the branch, and they fell to the forest floor below. Nico landed in a leafy bush that had small purple flowers on it. Pedro landed right _next_ to the bush.

"Did we lose him?" Nico whispered to Pedro, hopping out of the bush and helping Pedro sit up. Pedro simply gasped for breath, completely winded from the landing. He did, however, manage to point up.

Nico and Pedro watched as the homicidal baby toucan flew by in the direction they had been flying. He hadn't seen them. As soon as Juan disappeared into the forest, they let out a sigh of relief.

"Why the heck was he even chasing us anyways?" Pedro muttered, standing up and brushing himself off.

"Maybe he got hungry or something," suggested Nico, shrugging.

"Whatever," muttered Pedro. He turned to Nico. "How'd you manage to land in the bush?"

Nico smiled and shrugged. "Guess I'm just lucky."

Another demonic laugh from Juan echoed through the air, accompanied by an ominous wind that rustled the trees and pushed clouds across the darkening skies.

"Let's get outta here..." gulped Pedro. Nico nodded, and they flew in the opposite direction that Juan had gone. Neither of them knew that they were being watched as they flew off. Something much more sinister than a baby toucan.

* * *

><p>"Do you even know where we are?" Nico asked after a moment of flying.<p>

"Uh, I think so," said Pedro. "Maybe we should go that way." He gestured to a clearing in the trees about 50 feet to the right.

Nico shrugged. "Couldn't hurt to check it out..." They swerved to the right and flew through the gap in the trees. Instead of ending up back at the lake, or even near the city, they ended up at the beach. However, it was completely empty.

"Well this is new," said Nico, looking around at the small beach. He was that it was closed off on either side by large rocks, and the water a bit further out was rocky; too rocky for any human boats to tread. Looking at the forest floor at the edge of the beach, Nico saw that it was also incredibly rocky; maybe even too rocky for monkeys.

"Hey Pedro, you ever been here before?"

Pedro shook his head. "Nope."

Nico thought back to a few weeks ago, after the monkeys had ambushed the Branch. He remembered the owner of the Branch, Ernesto, asking him and Pedro to find a new place for the club.

"Hey, Pedro," said Nico, "you remember when Ernie asked us to find a new place for the Branch?"

"Yeah..."

"What about here?"

Pedro shrugged. "It could work. I'm sure it looks awesome in the daytime."

"So what should we call it?" asked Nico.

"Let's just call it the Lagoon, or something. I can't think of anything else," said Pedro.

Nico laughed a bit. "Okay. The Lagoon it is. I actually like the sound of that..."

"Don't sound so surprised," said Pedro. "I have good ideas sometimes!"

Nico smiled and nodded. "Whatever you say, Pedro. Now let's go home before Juan finds us..."

Pedro nodded, scanning the dark trees for any sign of the toucan. "I think I know the way back."

"Don't get us lost," said Nico nervously, casting his eyes over the swaying trees. The wind was picking up a little bit, making it impossible to tell if it was the wind or something else rustling the leafy branches.

"Don't worry," said Pedro with a wave of his hand, "there's no way we can _possibly_ get lost!"

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you got us lost," said Nico, looking around nervously. Night had fallen fast over the jungle, and Nico and Pedro had no freaking idea where they were.<p>

"It's not my fault!" exclaimed Pedro. "It's dark at night..."

It may have been dark, but it sure wasn't silent. The sounds of night creatures filled the breezy air, and the wind blowing through the trees just made it seem like a horror movie.

"M-m-maybe w-we should go b-back to the city..." suggested Nico.

Pedro nodded. "Good idea... But how are we even gonna get there?"

Nico pointed up. "Above the trees. We'll probably be able to see the lights."

Pedro nodded again, and they both flew up above the tree canopy. They could just _barely_ see the lights of the city on the horizon.

"Wow, I really _did_ get us lost..." muttered Pedro.

"No kidding..." grumbled Nico. He and Pedro flew towards the lights Rio de Janeiro, staying above the trees to avoid getting lost again.

After flying for about 15 minutes, they were getting close enough to see buildings. Suddenly, something flew right up in front of them. Nico and Pedro screamed bloody murder, but before they could fly in the other direction, they recognized the voice calling out to them.

"Nico! Pedro! What are you _doing_ out here?"

"Jewel?"

Before Jewel could ask any more questions, Nico and Pedro latched themselves to her, relieved beyond belief at being found by none other than the most motherly of their group of friends.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked, flying lower and landing on a branch, allowing Nico and Pedro to let go. "What happened?"

"Pedro got us lost!" exclaimed Nico, pointing an accusing finger at Pedro.

"So...?" muttered Pedro, crossing his wings and making a pouting face. "Why are _you_ out here, Jewel?"

"I was getting food," she said, holding up one of her claws, which gently clutched a handful of berries. "Do you want me to take you home?"

They nodded weakly.

* * *

><p>Nico collapsed face-down on his bed, which seemed much more comfortable than the night before. He could hear Pedro snoring across the hollow, and a few minutes later, he was unconscious himself.<p>

Little did he or Pedro know, danger was lurking right on the horizon.

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><p><em>AN: Okay, if you're arachnophobic, the next chapter may give you cardiac arrest. If you're NOT arachnophobic, then you will be after the next chapter._

_You have been warned!_


	2. The Spindler Spider

_A/N: Grab a paper bag and buckle up... Oh, and now would be a good time to mention that this is NOT and NEVER WILL BE a slash. Okay, good. Now, turn on all the lights and pull your feet up. And read. *grabs paper bag*_

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><p><strong>Curse of the Spider<strong>

Nico was woken up that morning by a strange shuffling sound. He shifted a bit, slightly uncomfortable lying on his stomach, trying to go back to sleep. However, when he felt something touch his leg, his eyes fluttered open.

Judging by the light in the hollow, it was early, like the sun had just come up. Nico let out a low moan, frustrated at waking up so early. He rolled over onto his back...

...and came face to face with an enormous spider. For a moment, Nico was too shocked to be scared. Slowly, realization trickled into his mind, telling him that there was an incredibly large spider standing right over him, it's hairy, eight-eyed face only centimeters from his own face.

It took all of his willpower not to scream at the top of his lungs. He had never really been that afraid of spiders before, but that was because he had never seen them that close. Now that he was face to face with one, he was terrified!

They stared at each other – the spider and the canary – for what seemed like hours, but was, in reality, only about two minutes. The spider slowly turned away from Nico and started to slowly walk across the hollow, towards the still sleeping Pedro. When it turned, Nico could see nine yellow spots on it's back.

His heart racing, Nico took a small breath of relief, but it didn't last long. The spider was still advancing towards the sleeping Pedro.

"Pedro..." Nico hissed under his breath. Surprisingly, Pedro groaned and rolled over on his back. He rubbed his eyes and stretched. Then he opened his eyes. And saw the spider. And screamed bloody murder.

Pedro's scream set Nico off, and he screamed too. The spider froze, shocked by the sudden screams. It backed towards the entrance of the hollow. The spider let out a hiss and turned to run back out the entrance.

_SPLAT!_

Rafael swooped through the entrance of the hollow and smashed his foot on the spider's head. Bug brains squished through his toes, and one of the spider's legs twitched. It was dead.

Picking the rest of the spider up with his foot, Rafael tossed it out of the hollow and wiped the spider guts off of his foot. He looked back at Nico and Pedro.

Nico had lunged across the hollow and was now right next to Pedro. They had their wings wrapped around each other and were still screaming, even though the spider was dead.

"Boys..." said Rafael. They stopped screaming and stared at him. "It's dead..."

Nico and Pedro blinked, as if not comprehending that they were safe now. Slowly, they realized what had happened, and they both stood up.

"Well, say something!" exclaimed Rafael. He could only imagine how traumatic those past few minutes had been.

Nico opened his mouth to say something, but instead of words, a high-pitch squeak came out. Pedro nodded in agreement. Rafael sighed and walked across the hollow, pulling the two shaking birds into a hug.

"It's okay," he whispered, picking them up and cradling them, Pedro in his right arm and Nico in his left. The only signs that they were alive were their racing hearts, gasping breaths, and shaking bodies.

While he waited for Nico and Pedro to calm down, he looked around at the hollow. He could see spider tracks on the floor, going back and forth between Nico and Pedro's bed.

After a few minutes, Pedro calmed down enough to lower his heart rate below 1,000. "I-is it gone...?" he asked Rafael.

"Welcome back to the world of the living," said Rafael, setting Pedro down. "And yeah, it's gone."

Pedro shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself. "T-t-that was s-so s-s-scary..."

"Don't worry, it's over and gone," said Rafael, gently rocking Nico, who was still in shock. Suddenly, a shadow passed over Rafael's face. "Did you get a good look at it?"

Pedro shook his head and fluttered up to stand on Rafael's shoulder. "N-not really. I w-was too b-busy screaming... Why?"

"Well... I was just wondering if it bit one of you..."

Pedro instantly froze, his eyes wide and his face pale. A moment later, he had a spaz attack of epic proportions, flipping and spazzing all over the hollow.

"Pedro... what are you doing?"

Pedro froze mid-spin, laying flat out on his side. "Checkin' myself for spider bites..." He went back to spazzing out.

At that moment, Nico moaned, starting to come back around. He blinked his glassy eyes, and a bit of color started to trickle back into his face. "I just had the _worst_ nightmare..." he mumbled.

"Uh, yeah, see... here's the thing... That wasn't a nightmare..." said Rafael.

Nico stared at him for a moment before going dead pale again. His eyes glazed over, and he looked ready to black out again.

"No, Nico, stay awake! You have to tell me what it looked like."

"It uh... was... big..." moaned Nico, struggling to focus.

"Yes, I know it was big," said Rafael, rolling his eyes. "What else?"

"It had... uh, nine... yellow dots... on it's back..."

"Nine yellow dots?" exclaimed Rafael. "Are you sure?"

Instead of providing a sarcastic comeback, Nico simply turned his head and looked at Pedro, who was still spazzing out. The cardinal was on his back on the ground, kicking his wings and legs in the air and spinning around in a circle. He looked a lot like a dying cockroach.

"What's Pedro doing?"

"The same thing you should be doing... kinda... He's checking for spider bites."

"Why do I need to check for spider bites?" asked Nico, his eyes focusing a bit.

"Because that spider could have bitten either one of you," said Rafael. He pointed to the remaining spider tracks on the floor. "See how it went back and forth between you and Pedro? It could have bitten either one of you!"

"So?"

Rafael just shook his head. He set Nico down, propping him up against his bed. He stepped over the flailing Pedro and stood at the entrance. "You boys wait here. I'll be right back."

He then turned and flew out of the entrance, heading towards the tree that Blu and Jewel had recently claimed. It was still early when he got there, so Blu was just waking up. Jewel was still sound asleep in the adjourning hollow.

"Hey Rafael," Blu whispered through a yawn. "What's up?"

"Can you get us access to a good computer?" asked Rafael, also whispering.

"Well... I don't know..." muttered Blu. "It's my turn to go find food, and I really don't want to disappoint Jewel..."

"But this is really important," Rafael whispered urgently.

"What happened?"

"Nico and Pedro got attacked by a spider..."

"What?" exclaimed Blu loudly. He quickly covered his mouth and checked to see if Jewel was still sleeping. She was. He breathed a small sigh of relief before turning back to Rafael again. "What...?" he exclaimed again, this time at a whisper. "Do you know what kind of spider it was?"

Rafael shook his head. "Nico said it had nine yellow spots on it's back. When I was little, my parents always told me to look out for spiders like that, but I don't know if it's because they're big or if they're poisonous. I don't even know what it's called..."

Blu sighed and went into the adjourning hollow where Jewel was sleeping. "I might be a bit late getting back," he whispered to her. She nodded sleepily, never opening her eyes. Blu returned to the main hollow and nodded to Rafael. "Okay, let's get going."

Rafael nodded. They flew out of the hollow and towards Nico and Pedro's tree.

"So..." said Blu, breaking the silence, "...what are you doing out here so early?"

"It's Sofia's birthday tomorrow, so I was out looking for a present while they were still sleeping," explained Rafael. "Speaking of kids, how are yours doing?"

Blu nodded excitedly, smiling. "They should hatch in about a week."

"Are you nervous?"

Blu nodded. "Of course..."

Rafael smiled. "Don't worry, the first five aren't so bad... And I can give you a few tips."

"Yeah, like what?"

"Always feed them on time..."

Before Blu had a chance to ask any questions, they arrived at Nico and Pedro's hollow. Upon entering, they found Nico and Pedro sitting huddled in the far corner. The smaller birds screamed when the others came in, but their screams died out when they recognized Rafael and Blu.

"Boys, you're coming with us," said Rafael, gesturing to the exit. Nico and Pedro quickly stood up and shakily walked over to the exit. They glided out without saying a word. Blu and Rafael followed them, and Blu lead the way towards the city.

* * *

><p>They stood on the window sill at Tulio's office in the city. Blu finished picking the lock, and he slid the window open. He went into the dark office first, followed by Nico, Pedro, and Rafael.<p>

Blu turned on the computer and maneuvered the mouse around until he found the website he wanted: Google.

"Really, Blu?" asked Nico, his sarcasm returning. "Google?"

"Well, sorry, but I don't know any websites that show you every single spider in Brazil..."

Nico's face went from slightly smug to wide-eyed and terrified at the mention of spiders.

"That's what I though..." Blu turned back to the computer and typed something on the keyboard. A long list of results came up, and Blu clicked on the first link. A large picture of the very spider that had attacked Nico and Pedro came up on the screen.

"That's it!" Nico and Pedro shouted at the same time. They both sounded completely terrified.

"It's called a Spindler Spider," said Blu, reading the name under the picture.

"I think we should go," Pedro squeaked out, his eye twitching a bit. He and Nico were trying not to look at the picture on the screen.

"I think that's a good idea," said Rafael. "I'll stop by and check on you two later..."

Nico and Pedro nodded before turning and zooming out the window, back towards the jungle.

"Poor boys..." muttered Rafael. "They're gonna be scarred for life..."

"Rafael, can you read this?" asked Blu. "It's in Portuguese."

"I'll give it a shot, but Nico's better at reading than me." He stepped up to the computer screen and squinted at it for a minute. "Hold on a second, there's a translate button right here!" Rafael moved the mouse and clicked on the button. The entire passage was instantly translated to English.

"Here we go," said Blu, stepping up to the computer screen. He began reading.

"_The Spindler Spider is an incredibly large spider indigenous to South America. This spider is extremely poisonous; a single drop of it's venom can kill even a fully grown man. However, the spider can only carry a single drop of poison, due to the size of it's poison glands. It takes a week for the spider to refill it's poison gland, which means the spider can only bite once every week. _

"_The poison is toxic enough to kill any animal, but it is also weak. If the poison can't get into the victim's bloodstream in a matter of seconds, then the poison will die, and the victim of the bite will be safe. This is the reason the spider bites it's victim on the back of the neck, which injects the poison directly into the bloodstream and spreads it all over the body. The poison is deadly because it's practically undetectable, and it takes almost exactly a week to kill."_

Blu stopped reading and stepped away from the computer. He and Rafael had the same wide-eyed, worried expression.

"Did it bite one of them...?" Blu whispered to Rafael, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"I don't know," said Rafael quietly. "I couldn't see any bites, and judging by the tracks on the floor of their hollow, the spider went back and forth between them at least 20 times..."

Blu shook his head nervously. "This isn't good..."

"What are the symptoms?" asked Rafael hurriedly.

Blu focused back on the computer screen and scrolled down a little bit before continuing to read. _"Symptoms of being poisoned by a Spindler Spider are: high fever, sore throat, a generally lethargic __feeling, and the occasional nightmare or random fits of rage."_

"That's it?" asked Rafael. "Those sound like the symptoms for the Bird Flu!"

"I guess that's why it's so deadly..." whispered Blu.

"Is there a cure?" asked Rafael nervously.

"Uh, hold on..." Blu started to scroll down, but stopped when the door on the other side of the office opened. Blu quickly exited out of the website, and he and Rafael flew out the window, back towards the forest.

"Should we tell them?" asked Blu after a few minutes of flying.

Rafael shook his head. "No... Not yet, anyways. We shouldn't scare them. For all we know, it might not have actually bitten either of them..."

"We should probably keep a close eye on them, just in case one of them starts experiencing the symptoms," said Blu.

"Good idea..."

"Can I tell Jewel?"

"As long as she promises not to tell Nico or Pedro."

Blu nodded. "She's good at keeping secrets."

Rafael nodded a bit, worried beyond belief. "We can sneak back in later and find out the cure, right?"

"Yeah," said Blu. "But Jewel will probably go with you this time. She knows how to pick locks too."

Again, Rafael nodded. The sun had now fully risen, and the day had officially started for the other birds of Rio. Life was seemingly normal, but Rafael knew that, if he and Blu were correct, then the life of one small bird would soon end...

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><p><em>AN: Ugh, I HAAAAATE spiders! Gosh, writing the beginning of this chapter nearly gave me a freaking heart attack! Also, I'm back to using my favorite means of torturing: poison! Oh, how I love that word... How many of you actually read my authors notes? I'll be able to tell. Because if a review is less than 10 words, it's not called a review. It's called a comment. SO we'll just see who listens... *evil smile*_

_This is going to be fun..._


	3. Sleep?

_A/N: DAMN! I haven't updated this since February! I am so sorry, but I had the worse case of writer's block that I've ever had in my entire life! It took me a month to burn it down, and it still isn't completely gone! So again, I'm sorry for the incredibly unacceptable delay, and I promise to do better. Now... ON WITH THE STORY!_

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><p><strong>Curse of the Spider<strong>

Nico and Pedro practically crash landed back in their hollow. They looked around at their hollow. The only sign that the spider had been there were the tracks on the floor, going back and forth between their beds. Nico and Pedro shared one glance before quickly getting to work, kicking dirt over the tracks. Once they were finished, they sat curled up in a ball on their own beds.

After a minute, Pedro spoke up. "D-d-do you t-think it was p-poisonous...?"

"You g-grew up here, you should know..." Nico snapped back.

Pedro shrugged. "My parents always told me to stay away from s-spiders with yellow dots, but I thought that was just because they were big..."

Nico shrugged. "I think I read somewhere that the smaller s-s-spiders were the most p-poisonous... and the b-big ones are just s-scary..."

Pedro nodded a bit. "That's good... I think..."

Nico shuddered. "W-why did it have to c-come into _our_ hollow?"

"Guess we're just lucky," Pedro said sarcastically. Nico glared at him.

They stared out the entrance in silence for a while. Outside, dark clouds were gathering in the sky, and the wind was starting to pick up. Suddenly, Nico stood up.

"I've got an idea!" he exclaimed. The then quickly flew out the hollow and came back a moment later, holding a large amount of small twigs. He started piling them up in front of the entrance.

"What are you doing...?" Pedro asked him.

"Making a barricade," said Nico as he arranged the sticks he had gathered.

Pedro shrugged. "Okay." He and Nico gathered a large pile of sticks and, once the pile was large enough, they built a stick wall up in the entrance to their hollow. They built the wall all the way to the top.

"There," said Nico. "That should keep out any bugs..."

Outside the hollow, there was a sharp clap of thunder, and a sudden gust of wind knocked the entire wall down, effectively making all of Nico and Pedro's hard work a waste.

"Aww..." muttered Pedro, disappointed.

With the wall gone, the wind started to violently whip around in the hollow, scattering the dirt on the floor around and further erasing the tracks from the spider. The wind also started to scatter the leaves on Pedro's bed.

"No!" he exclaimed. He then tackled his bed to keep the leaves from all blowing off. Nico started to laugh until _his_ bed started to blow away! Nico then copied Pedro and tackled his own bed. They both ended up sprawled on their beds, laughing as they tried to keep the leaves in place.

After a while, the wind died down enough for them to sit up.

"Well that was fun..." laughed Pedro.

"Yeah..." muttered Nico, trying to hide his smile. "Nothing's more fun than a traumatic morning followed by a chaotic stormy afternoon. Kinda makes me wonder what's gonna happen tonight..." Nico shuddered a bit, and he swore the air got a few degrees colder.

After a few minutes of thunder and lightning, it started to rain. The gentle pattering of the rain was soothing, and Nico was starting to feel drowsy. Looking across the hollow, he saw that Pedro was starting to nod off too. He looked outside and saw that it was still somewhat light. He felt a bit safer sleeping while it was still light out. After all, spiders were nocturnal, right? And he had had a rough morning...

Yawning, Nico leaned against the hollow wall, his tired eyes focused on the entrance. Across the hollow, Pedro had already started snoring. The pattering of the rain and the distant rumbles of thunder were still calming, and the wind outside was gently rocking the tree. The swaying motion was what really put Nico to sleep. He closed his eyes and he was out like a light.

* * *

><p>Blu quickly flew into his hollow and shook the water out of his feathers. That storm had literally come out of nowhere, and he was glad that he had managed to snatch a couple of pieces of fruit from a stand in the city <em>before<em> the rain had started.

"There you are," said Jewel, smiling as she stepped into the main hollow. "What took you so long?"

"I had to make a detour," said Blu breathlessly. "Nico and Pedro got attacked by a spider this morning."

"What!" gasped Jewel, her eyes widening. "What kind was it?"

"Uh... a Spindler Spider," said Blu.

"The name sounds familiar. What does it look like?"

"It's _huge_," said Blu, holding his wings apart in front of him to give Jewel an idea of the size. "And it's poisonous."

"Oh my-... did it bite one of them?"

"I don't know," said Blu, shaking his head. "But you can't tell them that it was poisonous, or they'll freak out!"

"Well, do you know what the cure is?" asked Jewel, her eyes wide.

Blu shook his head. "We didn't have time to find out."

"How long does the poison take to... y'know... _kill_?"

"About a week."

Jewel nodded a bit, and she squinted her eyes as if she were thinking of something. "This spider... did it have nine yellow spots?"

Blu stared at her for a minute before nodding. "Yeah, why?"

"Because now I think I know what spider you're talking about," she said.

"Are you sure?" asked Blu.

Jewel nodded. "Yeah, the day we met there was one on your back."

Blu's eyes bugged out of his head. "WHAT!"

Jewel laughed a bit. "Don't worry, I smacked it off before it could bite you."

"But what if it _had_ bitten me?" he nearly shouted.

"You would be dead by now."

"Oh..."

Jewel laughed a bit at the blank look on Blu's face. "C'mon," she said, picking up one of the fruits, "let's eat. I'm starving."

Blu nodded a bit. "But what should we do about Nico and Pedro?"

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," said Jewel quietly.

"Promise me you won't tell them that it was poisonous?" asked Blu.

"I promise..."

* * *

><p>Nico sat bolt upright, expecting to see a giant spider standing over him. Instead, he saw Pedro.<p>

"Nico..." he squeaked.

"Y-yeah...?" stammered Nico, trying to lower his heart rate.

"I don't think I wanna sleep here tonight..." whimpered Pedro.

Nico looked around the hollow. Outside, the storm had passed and night had fallen; the air was still really hot though. The darkness cast ominous shadows all over the walls, and Nico thought he kept hearing shuffling noises.

"Me either..." he said quietly as he stood up and put his bottle cap back on. "So where should we go...?"

Pedro shrugged a bit. "How 'bout the city?"

Nico shook his head. "Too many monkeys."

"So... where do we go then...?"

* * *

><p>Rafael woke up the next morning to find two extra birds snuggled up next to him. Smiling, he gently reached down and tapped their shoulders to wake them up. When they opened their eyes and looked up at him, he gestured for them to stay quiet and follow him. They all stood up and, stepping over the sleeping baby toucans, exited the hollow.<p>

"Did you boys have a rough night last night?" asked Rafael once they were far enough from the hollow to talk.

Nico and Pedro nodded tiredly.

Rafael smiled. "I think you should go back home before the kids wake up. Remember, they're always hungry..."

All of the sleepiness left Nico and Pedro's eyes as they remembered what a hungry Juan was capable of.

"I think that's a good idea..." Nico gulped.

Pedro nodded. "We'll just g- OW!" He let out a sharp cry and held his wing close to his chest. Jumping backwards, he saw that Juan was standing right next to him with a mouthful of gray feathers.

Half a second later, Nico and Pedro were flying as fast as possible towards the city...

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><p><em>AN: Please DO NOT MENTION how late this chapter was in the review. Please. Spare me that. I'm sorry this chapter was so short, but it's the best I can do for now. I promise to try and get the next chapter up much sooner. Just... please... reviews help. Thank you for understanding. See ya..._


	4. Tantrum

_A/N: I was in a creative slump. Thanks for sticking with me. Trust me, it'll get better! But for now please enjoy this... filler chapter. Ugh..._

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><p><strong>Curse of the Spider<strong>

Nico and Pedro lay sprawled out on the roof of a cafe on the beach. The sun was shining bright, and there was a gentle breeze blowing off of the sea. A few clouds drifted through the hot afternoon sky.

Nico and Pedro had been lying on the roof for at least an hour. They hadn't moved, and they were lying so still that if anybody had seen them, they would have thought they were dead.

Suddenly, after an hour of lying catatonic, Pedro sat up and looked at Nico. "We're gonna have to move, aren't we?" he asked.

Nico pushed his bottle cap back so that he could look at Pedro. "What are you talking about?" he asked tiredly.

"I don't wanna go back to our old hollow..." said Pedro, nervously tapping his foot. "It makes me think of s-spiders..."

Nico slowly sat up, no longer feeling quite so tired. "Okay, well let's go look right now. Our old hollow was too far from the lake anyways... Let's look for one closer."

Pedro nodded. "Good idea. And then after that, we can go to the Branch, right?"

Nico smiled. "Sure, Pedro," he said, slowly standing up.

"Yes!" exclaimed Pedro, jumping up with excitement. He and Nico took off towards the jungle, unaware that they were being watched.

As soon as Nico and Pedro were out of sight, two young Toucans, already half way grown, fluttered out of a nearby tree. They flew down the beach until they reached the tree where their father was hiding.

"We're back, Daddy!" exclaimed Sofia, one of Rafael's older daughters.

"That was boring!" exclaimed Raoul, one of Sofia's younger brothers.

"Thanks for doing this, kids," said Rafael. "So, did they have any symptoms?"

"Is being really sleepy one of the symptoms?" asked Sofia.

"Yes."

"Then they both had that symptom."

"Except at the end, when Uncle Pedro started jumping around," said Raoul. "Then only Uncle Nico was the tired one."

"Well, your Uncle Pedro always has a bit more energy than normal," said Rafael. "And they both had a rough morning..."

"Do we get to spy on Uncle Nico and Uncle Pedro again later?" asked Sofia eagerly.

"Of course, sweetie," said Rafael, patting Sofia and Raoul on their heads. "It _is_ your birthday, after all."

* * *

><p>"That one?"<p>

"No. It's too low to the ground. _Anything_ would be able to get in."

"How 'bout this one?"

"Nah. It's too far from the lake."

"This one?"

"Are you kidding? This is way too small!"

"But we're small birds!"

"Really. How do you expect us to practice new dance moves in here?"

"... Moving on... How 'bout _this_ one!"

"Pedro! Somebody already lives there!"

"Oh, sorry miss!" exclaimed Pedro as he and Nico quickly flew in the opposite direction of the screaming female parakeet that he had accidentally walked in on. They had been on the hunt for a new hollow for hours, and they had yet to find a decent home. After a few more failed attempts, they returned to the lake.

"Ugh, I'm tired..." moaned Pedro, flopping down on the sand, completely out of breath from all the flying.

"Why is it so hard to find a good piece of real estate these days...?" muttered Nico, frustrated.

"Isn't that what all the humans are asking too?" asked Pedro sarcastically.

Nico rolled his eyes and started to give Pedro a sarcastic remark, but he stopped. "What's that?" he asked, pointing up at a tall, thin tree across the lake.

"What?" asked Pedro. "I don't see anything."

"Up there!" exclaimed Nico, standing up and pointing to a large leafy branch near the top center of the tree. "I think I see something behind the branch. Wanna go check it out?"

Groaning, Pedro stood up. "Alright, let's go."

He and Nico flew across the lake and up to the leafy branch.

"Well, there's nothing up here," said Pedro tiredly. "Can we just go to the Branch now...?"

"No, hold on," said Nico. He fluttered forward and grabbed onto the branch. "Help me move it," he said. Pedro sighed and also grabbed the branch. He and Nico pulled it back, and to Pedro's surprise, there was a hollow behind the branch, hidden from sight from the ground below. The hollow was larger than their old hollow, and higher off the ground too.

"How did you see this?" asked Pedro after he and Nico had moved the branch.

"The wind blew the branch out of the way for a second," said Nico as he admired the hollow. "Man, this place is perfect! What do you think?"

"Not too bad," said Pedro, nodding in approval. "I call the left side!"

"Why do you want the left side?" asked Nico. "You're right handed!"

"And you're left handed," said Pedro. "Besides. You had the left side last time."

"So?"

"It's my turn!"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Fine, you can have the left side."

"Awesomesauce!" exclaimed Pedro.

"We should probably make our beds," said Nico.

"Can't we do that tomorrow?" whined Pedro. "I wanna go to the Branch and dance!"

"Well if we go now, you'll be too tired to do anything but sleep when we get back!" exclaimed Nico. "We can make real beds tomorrow, but for now, we need something..."

Pedro screwed up his face in concentration. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "I got it!" he exclaimed. "Wait right here!" He then flew out of the hollow and back towards the city.

"Pedro, you're impossible..." Nico muttered to himself. He sat down against the right wall where his bed would be. He rested his head in his hands, suddenly tired. Only a moment later, he was being shaken awake by Pedro.

"Hey bro, wake up!" exclaimed Pedro.

"Sorry," said Nico, sitting up. "I dozed off. How long were you gone?"

"Uh... 'bout an hour," he said. "Anyways, look what I got!" He gestured behind him, and Nico saw a large pair of cotton socks.

"Um... Pedro... where did you get those?" asked Nico, standing up and picking up one of the socks.

"Long story," said Pedro, sounding out of breath. "Tourist left her suit case on a table, monkeys busted it open, I took what was left." He held up his sock. "I call the left one."

"But... socks looks the same," said Nico. "How do you know the difference?"

"I JUST DO BECAUSE I'M AWESOME, OKAY?" Pedro suddenly shouted angrily.

Nico took a step back, his eyes wide, shocked at the sudden outburst. "O-okay..." he said cautiously. "No need to get angry..."

"I AIN'T ANGRY!" Pedro shouted again. He threw the sock he was holding across the hollow and stepped on it. "_Stay there!_" he shouted at the sock.

Nico gulped. "Pedro... maybe you should just... calm down..."

"What are you talking about? I'm totally calm," said Pedro innocently, his eyes wide and slightly glassy, all the anger leaving his voice as quickly as it had come.

Nico cautiously nodded. "Okay, well I'm gonna set up my bed... Why don't you just... sit there."

"Okay," said Pedro, plopping down on the sock that he had just abused moments ago. "And then when you're done, do we get to go to the Branch?"

"S-sure..." said Nico, taking a half step back. _What the heck just happened...?_

Nico put the sock on the ground and folded it up a few times so that it was thick enough to be comfortable.

"Are ya done yet?" asked Pedro eagerly. "Can we go now? Can we go now? Can we go now? Please please please please _please_?" he begged.

"Yeah, let's go," said Nico, gesturing to the exit. _Let's just hope you don't have another temper tantrum..._

* * *

><p>Night was falling, but the Branch was very much alive. It was pulsing with light and an infectious beat that made any nearby bird tap their foot.<p>

"Yes..." whispered Pedro as he and Nico walked through the entrance. "Party!" he exclaimed before running off towards his second home on the dance floor.

"Hey Nico," said a deep, grumbling voice next to Nico.

Nico looked up to see their bouncer. "Hey Bruiser," he said to the giant parrot, who was so large he was sometimes mistaken for a pterodactyl. "What's up?"

"Did you see Pedro hit that monkey earlier?" asked Bruiser.

"Uh, no!" exclaimed Nico. "When did he hit a monkey?"

"This afternoon," said Bruiser. "I saw some monkeys going through a suit case earlier, and then Pedro came up and tried to take some socks."

Nico face-palmed himself. "Oh no... I think I know where this is going..."

Bruiser nodded. "Yep. An ugly monkey with a scar on his nose tried to take the socks from Pedro, and he hit it right in the eye!"

"Why do I have the feeling that that's gonna come back and bite me in the butt...?" muttered Nico.

"All I'm sayin' is keep him on a leash," said Bruiser. "Don't want him gettin' in trouble..."

"Yeah, I'll keep an eye on him..." said Nico, rubbing his temple to nurse the headache he had suddenly gotten.

Bruiser nodded and turned back to the entrance to whack any monkeys or underage birds that may try and come in.

Nico fluttered up to one of the old wooden crates that held up the canvas covering the Branch. Up there, it was a bit quieter and easier to think. He also had a nice vantage point, so he could keep an eye on Pedro, who, surprisingly, _wasn't_ right in the middle of the dance floor. He was in the crowd on the edge of it, swaying to the beat like the rest of the crowd.

_Well that's weird..._ thought Nico. Come to think of it, Pedro had been acting strange all day...

"Hey, Nico!" came a voice from the crowd below.

Nico looked down to where he had heard the voice. In a crowd near the stage, he saw Ernesto, the Scarlet Macaw that owned the Branch, waving frantically to him. Sighing, Nico glided down and landed next to Ernesto.

"Hey Ernie, what's up?" asked Nico.

"We're gonna be having a _huge_ party tomorrow night!" exclaimed Ernesto.

Nico took a half step back, smelling the alcohol on Ernesto's breath. "Isn't _every_ night here a huge party?" he asked.

"Not like what's gonna happen tomorrow night!" exclaimed Ernesto breathlessly. "There's gonna be twice as many birds, and the party's only gonna stop when the sun comes up! Are you and Pedro gonna come? You guys can sing! Do ya have any new songs?" He asked all of those questions in only one breath, which deeply impressed Nico.

"First of all, I think you should stop taking drinks from the seagulls," said Nico, gesturing to the flock of drunken seagulls nearby. "And second... yeah, I think Pedro and I can come. We don't have our new song ready, though."

"That's okay! You can sing some of your other ones!" he exclaimed energetically. "But I promised some friends that you guys would perform and I'm sorry for not telling you earlier but you understand right?"

Before Nico had a chance to respond, Pedro stumbled out of the crowd and leaned heavily on Nico's shoulder, as if he were drunk.

"HEY NICO!" Pedro shouted right in Nico's ear.

"What?" exclaimed Nico, jumping away from Pedro.

"I'M JUST SAYING HI!" Pedro exclaimed loudly, smiling and going slightly cross-eyed.

"Yeah..." Nico took a half step away from Pedro. "So, there's an all night party here tomorrow night and-"

"DO WE GET TO PERFORM?" shouted Pedro.

"Pedro, you don't have to shout! I can hear you just fine!"

"YEAH, BUT THE MUSIC WAS LOUDER BACK THERE! I CAN BARELY HEAR MYSELF!"

"BUT I CAN HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR SO _TALK QUIETER!_"

"Okay," said Pedro quietly, looking down at his feet guiltily. "I could hear you just fine that whole time, I was just messin' with ya!"

Nico groaned. "So... do you wanna perform tomorrow?"

"Duh!" exclaimed Pedro. "I love parties!"

"Then you should try this!" exclaimed Ernesto, holding out a small paper ketchup cup filled with a clear, foul smelling liquid. "The seagulls found it!"

Pedro's eye widened, and he reached for the cup, but Nico roundhouse kicked Ernesto's hand, making him spill the contents all over the floor.

"I _refuse_ to let you anywhere near alcohol after what happened last time!" exclaimed Nico, pointing an angry finger at Pedro.

Pedro looked down at the spilled liquid on the ground. "Aww..."

* * *

><p>"Daddy! Daddy!" exclaimed Sofia. "Uncle Pedro beat up a monkey!"<p>

"What?" exclaimed Rafael, dropping the french fry he had been eating.

"Yeah! He punched it right in the eye!" exclaimed Raoul, throwing a fake punch.

"Wow..." Rafael muttered, stepping aside so the kids could devour the fries. The occasional fit of rage was another symptom of spider poisoning. Pedro was crazy... but not quiet _that_ crazy.

"Anything else?" asked Rafael.

"Yeah," said Raoul. "We followed them to their new home."

"New home?"

"Yeah," said Sofia. "They got a new home right by the lake. We'll show you on the way home. But anyways, Uncle Nico was sleeping, and then when he woke up, he and Uncle Pedro started talking, and then Uncle Pedro got really angry and started yelling and then he was okay."

"Really..." muttered Rafael. After a moment, he looked up into the sky and saw that it was starting to get dark. Knowing Nico and Pedro, they were probably heading to the Branch. "Alright kids, time to go home."

Upon hearing this, Sofia and Raoul stuffed as many fries as possible into their mouths and then took off towards the forest with Rafael right behind.

"Alright, show me where they live?" said Rafael after a few minutes of flying.

"This way," said Sofia, swallowing her fries. She and Raoul flew across the lake and came up to a thin, tall tree and flew up towards the hollow. Now that the leafy branch had been moved, it was now visible from the ground.

"Here it is," said Raoul.

Rafael hovered outside of the hollow. "At least they made some attempt to make beds..." he muttered, observing the cotton socks.

"I'm tired," said Raoul. "Can we go home, Daddy?"

"Of course we can," said Rafael. "Lead the way."

Nodding, Raoul and Sofia flew towards home with Rafael following right behind them, calm on the outside but worried sick on the inside.

* * *

><p>Nico and Pedro fluttered into their hollow. Nico landed flat on his feet, but Pedro suffered more of a crash landing. He stumbled over to his sock bed and flopped down.<p>

"Ugh, I'm tired..." he whined.

"Why are you tired?" asked Nico as he sat down on his sock bed. "You barely danced..."

"Because I was_ tired..._" moaned Pedro, his tone not unlike that of a child.

"Then go to sleep!" snapped Nico.

Pedro let out a long moan and buried his face into his sock bed. Nico sighed, but after a few minutes, he stood up and walked over to Pedro.

"Are you feeling okay, buddy?" he asked.

"I feel _fine_..." Pedro groaned.

"You sure?" asked Nico. He touched Pedro's forehead with the back of his hand. "You feel kinda warm..."

"I said I'm fine!" exclaimed Pedro, swatting Nico's hand away. "Just go to bed." With that, he rolled over so that he was facing away from Nico.

Sighing, Nico turned and went back to his bed. He laid down and took off his bottle cap.

_Maybe Pedro will feel better by tomorrow..._ Nico thought. _Maybe it's just a one day cold or something..._

Nico sighed and closed his eyes. Hopefully Pedro would let him sleep in tomorrow so that they could stay late for the party.

_First night in a new hollow..._ thought Nico as he drifted off into sleep. Across the hollow, he could hear Pedro snoring. Moonlight illuminated the hollow with a peaceful blue light, and the sounds of the lake below were enough to finally lull Nico to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Whoo! I finished this in three days! Sorry if nothing much happened in this chapter. I just... NEEDED to update this story!_

_I also realized something. All of my multiple chapter stories usually take place over a week, with an extra day or two at the beginning or end... or in the middle if a coma is involved..._

_So anyways, sorry for taking so damn long, sorry that this chapter is short, and sorry for it being a filler chapter. But still, another update means you guys are closer to finding out who got poisoned... =)_

_Now that summer's here, I'll have more time to update. So I should be able to update in LESS than two months. Ugh..._


	5. All Night

_A/N: Okay, so by the time I post this, school will have probably already started, so... sorry for not updating in forever. I've been a bit busy... Well, hope you enjoy! Sorry if it's kinda short. I promise it picks up next chapter. All these chapters have been fillers so far! Well... yeah._

* * *

><p><strong>Curse of the Spider<strong>

Nico and Pedro slept in until two in the afternoon. Pedro was the first one to wake up. He slowly blinked his eyes open and looked over at Nico. The canary was sprawled on his back, holding his bottle cap to his chest. His foot was twitching slightly, and he was mumbling. Something about a finch from Chile. Pedro tried not to giggle, because he wanted to hear every word Nico said in case blackmail was ever involved.

After a few minutes of listening to Nico unconsciously rant, Pedro started to get sleepy again. He curled up on his side, and just as he was drifting back to sleep...

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU BOYS ARE STILL ASLEEP!" exclaimed a loud voice. Nico and Pedro both jolted awake, screaming.

It was Rafael. He was standing at the entrance to the hollow, trying and failing to contain his laughter at the expressions on Nico and Pedro's faces.

"Not cool, Ralfy!" exclaimed Nico, standing up and walking across the hollow to retrieve his bottle cap, which he had involuntarily thrown across the room in his shock.

Rafael finally managed to contain his laughter. "So why are you guys sleeping in so late...?" he asked, hiding the suspicion in his voice.

"We're just gettin' plenty of sleep for the party tonight!" exclaimed Pedro, standing up.

Rafael rolled his eyes. "Is it another one of those all-night super parties?" he asked.

Pedro nodded eagerly. "Yeah, it's gonna be awesome!" he exclaimed, already getting excited. "You should-"

"Hold on a second," said Nico, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What is it?" asked Rafael, a large smile plastered across his face.

"How did you know where we were?" asked Nico. "We just moved in here yesterday, so how did you find us?"

Rafael's smile didn't falter. "Paternal instincts."

Nico glanced sidelong at Pedro, who simply shrugged.

"Anyways..." said Rafael loudly, trying to change the subject. "What are you going to before the party?"

Nico glanced around at the hollow. "We're probably just gonna fix this place up a bit," he said.

"Do you need any help?" asked Rafael.

"Did you have a fight with Eva or something?" asked Pedro, also noticing Rafael's strange behavior.

"... Just a little one," he said, giving a small shrug of his shoulders.

Nico and Pedro relaxed their suspicions. If Rafael and Eva had had a fight, it could explain why Rafael was acting so weird.

"So... will you help us?" asked Pedro.

Nico nodded. "All we were gonna do was make beds. That sock I slept on last night wasn't very comfortable..."

Pedro laughed. "I don't know what you're talking about! I slept like a rock!"

Nico shrugged. "Maybe because you beat your sock into submission..." he suggested.

"Yeah. That's very funny. Ha ha," Pedro deadpanned.

"So," said Rafael awkwardly, "should we get to work?"

Nico and Pedro nodded, and all three birds flew out over the lake and into the forest.

* * *

><p>Rafael had been lying through his teeth, metaphorically. He and Eva hadn't had a fight at all. In fact, she had been in such a good mood that morning that she had let him go check on Nico and Pedro without consequence. Rafael had lied to ease Nico and Pedro's suspicions and to give an excuse for keeping a close eye on them.<p>

He followed Nico and Pedro to a thick patch of trees with large, bright green leaves. They stopped and collected the leaves and small twigs, making several trips back and forth between the hollow and the trees. The whole time Rafael kept an eye out for any of the symptoms. However, other than being tired and Pedro occasionally complaining, he didn't see any of the symptoms.

Finally, after about an hour with no signs of symptoms, Rafael relaxed just a bit. Maybe it was possible that neither of them got bit by the spider...

"Hey boys," said Rafael after they had made their last trip to the trees, "I'm gonna head home and see if Eva's calmed down."

"Okay, thanks for the help," said Nico as he carried an armful of leaves over to his side of the hollow.

Rafael nodded and took off, a lot less worried than he had been earlier that day.

* * *

><p>Nico flopped down on his newly made bed, and Pedro did the same.<p>

"That was boring," muttered Pedro. "When does the part start?"

"Sunset..." muttered Nico, staring up at the roof of their hollow.

"Can we just go early?" asked Pedro, absently picking a small piece of bark off of the wall.

Nico shrugged and sat up. "Yeah, I don't see why not..." he said. He stood up with renewed energy. "Let's go."

Pedro jumped up out of his bed, the promise of going to the Branch energizing him. Without waiting for Nico, he jumped out of the hollow and took off. Nico immediately flew after him.

* * *

><p>Nico and Pedro reached the Branch about an hour later. They would have gotten there sooner if Pedro hadn't wanted to stop for food, and it had taken them half an hour to find something.<p>

When they got to the Branch, they found it just as crowded as usual. Pedro quickly snuck off towards the dance floor, while Nico looked around for Ernesto. After looking for a while, Nico was unable to find him, so he drifted over to the bouncer.

"Hey Bruiser," said Nico.

"'Sup," deadpanned Bruiser.

"Have you seen Ernie around here?" he asked.

Bruiser shook his head. "He ain't comin' til later."

"Why not?" asked Nico.

"He's got a hangover," said Bruiser. "So do all the seagulls."

Nico breathed a sigh of relief now that he didn't have to worry about Pedro getting drunk again.

"Are you guys gonna sing tonight?" asked Bruiser.

Nico nodded.

"You guys doing any new songs?"

"Well, we're performing a new song tomorrow night," said Nico.

Bruiser nodded, and then glanced over the heads of all of the other birds. "Where did Pedro learn to dance like that?"

Nico just shook his head and walked away.

* * *

><p>As soon as the sun set, birds from all over Rio started pouring into the Branch, and Bruiser had his hands full tossing underage birds out. The music steadily got louder, and the crowd got more and more energetic.<p>

Pedro was right in the center of the crowd, dancing, and Nico had managed to find Ernesto the moment he arrived.

"Rough day?" joked Nico, shouting over the roar of the crowd.

"Don't yell so loud..." moaned Ernesto, nursing a headache.

Nico couldn't help but laugh. "So I'm guessing you're not staying long?"

Ernesto shook his head, but moaned again as the action invoked another stab of pain. "I just came for a bit. I'll be fine by tomorrow..."

Nico nodded. "Good."

A moment later, he started to wander off, having nothing more to say, but Ernesto stopped him.

"Why aren't you on stage?" he asked.

Nico's eyes brightened. "I kinda wanted to wait until you got here."

"Well, I'm here now," said Ernesto, sounding a bit less hungover than he had a minute earlier.

Nico nodded, and he ran off towards the dance floor to get Pedro. When he found Pedro, he was right in the middle of a very complicated and painful looking dance battle.

"Pedro!" Nico shouted over the roar of the crowd and the music.

"What's up?!" Pedro shouted back as he continued to dance, not missing a beat.

"Ready to sing?" Nico asked.

"No way, man!" exclaimed Pedro. "I'M IN THE ZONE!"

Nico rolled his eyes and flew back to Ernesto. "I guess it's just me tonight." Then he turned and flew towards the stage...

* * *

><p><em>AN: Even Pedro acknowledges that this chapter was boring. *repeatedly bangs head against desk* I'm am so sorry for making you guys wait this long, only to give you a crappy boring filler chapter. Ugh. I got so freaking bored writing this. But don't worry. I PROMISE that all of the interesting stuff happens next chapter. I swear! Because next chapter... you find out who got bitten!_

_Oh yes. That reminds me. **IT IS ****NOT**** POSSIBLE FOR BOTH OF THEM TO HAVE BEEN ****BITTEN!** A Spindler Spider only carries ONE DROP OF POISON and it takes a week for the poison gland to refill. Okay? Got it? Good..._

_SO... sorry for the boring filler. Normally if you guys leave those one sentence reviews, I bitch about it, buuuuut... I don't think I'll complain for this chapter... Just stick with me until the next one, when things start to pick up and the actual plot comes into play. So again... I'm sorry._

_But in other news, I decided that I'll do a sequel to Seeing Double. The title is probably going to be "Monkey Business." Then after THAT, there will be one more story, and that'll be my last Rio story until the next movie comes out or until I get more inspiration. So I hope this little piece of news is enough to satisfy you. Just daydream and guess._

_So... I'll go get started on the next chapter, which I am determined to make interesting. Hopefully my creative slump, my asthma, and the infected wound on my toe will go away and let me concentrate. So... see ya. *dies*_


End file.
